The campaign for North Koreans’ human rights is receiving fresh impetus as South Korea, the U.S. and the international community are ratcheting up pressure on the repressive regime to address grave living conditions and cease punishment of repatriated defectors. Seoul and Washington have been calling on the communist state to dismantle political prisons and divert scarce resources to food supplies. They are also beefing up cooperation to free four South Korean activists held in China, a shift fr

The Korean government said on Monday it will look into whether a new national park under construction in northeastern China includes symbols that falsely represent the history between the two countries. The Chinese province of Jilin on April 20 began work to transform a fortress built by the ancient Korean kingdom of Goguryeo into a large-scale national park by October. Among some 20 envisioned facilities is a set of bronze statues that show a king of Balhae, which succeeded Goguryeo in 698, rec

Saenuri slams UPP’s Lee for rejecting symbol of patriotismA progressive lawmaker at the center of an ideological row has become embroiled in a fresh dispute after he showed disrespect for the national anthem.In a private meeting with reporters Friday, Rep. Lee Seok-ki of the far-left Unified Progressive Party said that Aegukga (song for love of the country) was made the national anthem by the dictatorial regime. “Aegukga is just one of the songs you sing to show your love for the country,” he wa

14 countries to sign treaty in Brazil next week; inaugural meeting set for OctoberThe Global Green Growth Institute created by the Korean government is set to transform into an international organization in October, Seoul officials said Thursday.Fourteen countries are scheduled to sign a treaty for the status change at the U.N. Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro on June 20-22. They plan to hold the inaugural meeting in October here.The Seoul-based think tank was launched in

South Korea will be exempted from U.S. sanctions on Iranian oil but concerns persist as ongoing talks with the EU over its upcoming ban on insurance for ships carrying the crude remain deadlocked, industry officials and analysts said Tuesday.U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Monday that Korea and six other economies will receive a 6-month waiver, citing a “significant” reduction in crude imports from the Middle Eastern country. The other recipients are India, Turkey, Taiwan, South Afr

Korean consuls met with four South Korean activists detained in Dandong, China, on Monday, the Foreign Ministry said. Kim Young-hwan and three other activists for North Korean human rights have been held on charges of “damaging national security” since late March. The ministry identified the three as Yoo Jae-gil, 43, Kang Shin-sam, 41, and Lee Sang-yong, 31. Kim, 48, had his first meeting with Shenyang-based South Korean consuls on April 26. According to Seoul officials, the other three refused

South Korean and U.S. officials discussed Monday how to deal with China’s detention of four South Korean activists for North Korean human rights, the Foreign Ministry said.Robert King, U.S. special envoy for North Korean human rights issues, met with Seoul’s top nuclear envoy Lim Sung-nam and Kim Soo-kwon, the ministry’s director-general of Korea peace regime.The government and civic activists are campaigning for the freedom of Kim Young-hwan and three other activists who have been in Chinese cu

The Korean government on Sunday remained unwavering despite Tokyo’s ongoing protest against a memorial in Seoul dedicated to women who were forced into sex slavery during Japanese colonial rule. Japan has officially claimed that the “peace statue” in front of its embassy in Seoul breaches the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, an international treaty that outlines a framework for diplomacy, a report submitted to the Diet showed Saturday.The bronze statue was erected in December to mark t

The late mother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was unveiled in a video on Sunday in the latest twist to the communist state’s campaign to idolize the young commander and cement his fledgling leadership. The 90-minute film, titled “The Mother of Great Military First Chosun,” contains a sketch of the living years of Ko Young-hui. It showed her watching a little Kim draw a picture, receiving shooting training and cleaning a field jumper owned by his deceased father, Kim Jong-il, in the 1980s or

The Korean government said on Thursday it will closely watch whether China’s new survey has distorted historic facts to include parts of Korea within the Great Wall area. China announced on Wednesday that the ancient bulwark is more than two times longer than previously thought. Its first-ever official measurement concluded the structure is 21,196 kilometers long, revising its 2009 estimate of 8,852 kilometers. The research said the wall’s eastern parts covered some areas which belonged to ancie

Worst dry spell in decades expected to deepen food shortageThe worst drought in decades is threatening to aggravate already serious food shortages in North Korea, posing a grave challenge to its new leader Kim Jong-un.A series of provocative acts, most recently an April 13 rocket launch, has curtailed foreign aid to the country that depends on outside assistance to feed its 24 million people.An expected food crisis could force Kim to make a choice ― whether to open dialogue with the internationa

The foreign affairs and defense chiefs of South Korea and the United States will meet next week in Washington to discuss North Korea’s nuclear threat, the bilateral alliance between the two countries and cooperation in global issues, Seoul officials said Tuesday. The meeting, dubbed two-plus-two, will be held on June 14 by Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan and Minister of National Defense Kim Kwan-jin, and their respective U.S. counterparts Hillary Clinton and Leon Panetta. They are expected to see

Rival groups clash over N.K. rights bill and leftist lawmakersThe ideological divide between Korea’s two major parties widened Tuesday as key members clashed over a North Korean human rights bill on top of controversy over allegedly “pro-North Korea” lawmakers. Lee Hae-chan, a former prime minister running for chairperson of the main opposition Democratic United Party, precipitated partisan bickering by branding the ruling Saenuri Party’s latest North Korea human rights bill a “diplomatic discou

South Korea unveiled two cases of North Korean spies in less than a week, fraying the nerves of opposition politicians who prioritized reconciliation with Pyongyang or even once worked for pro-communist organizations. The National Intelligence Service said Friday that it is investigating a female North Korean defector on suspicion of spying for her homeland. Lee Kyung-ae, 46, who entered Seoul via Thailand late last year, reportedly confessed that she was an undercover agent for the North’s mili

Libya’s foreign minister will visit South Korea next week to discuss economic and diplomatic cooperation between the two countries, Seoul officials said Friday.Ashour Bin Khayal will arrive on Sunday for a three-day stay and hold talks with his South Korean counterpart Kim Sung-hwan on Tuesday about Seoul’s support for Tripoli’s reconstruction drive and Korean firms’ business in the oil-rich North African country. “Khayal’s choice of Seoul as the first destination of his tour to Northeast Asia r

Constitutional revision aimed at political, diplomatic benefits, likely to undermine six-party talksInternational efforts to denuclearize North Korea face a bigger hurdle as the communist state recently codified its atomic-armed status, which analysts see as a move to enhance its leverage in future negotiations. Pyongyang’s state-run website on Wednesday unveiled the text of its recent constitutional revision, which added “nuclear-armed state” to its preface.“National Defense Commission Chairman

The arrest of two South Koreans on charges of attempting to hand over sensitive military equipment to North Korea has sparked fears about other possible hidden spies who pose a serious security threat.The revelation on Wednesday is expected to add fuel to the ongoing controversy over leftist politicians in the Unified Progressive Party who were involved in pro-North Korea organizations in the past. The two businessmen are accused of attempting to divulge advanced military technologies to the Nor

North Korea is coming under greater international pressure over human rights issues as the U.S. and European Union are stepping up calls on the oppressive regime to free political prisoners and stop punishing repatriated defectors. The European Parliament subcommittee on North Korea’s human rights issues hosted a session in Brussels Wednesday with some 70 officials from EU, civic groups and other related organizations. Kim Chang-beom, Seoul’s ambassador to Brussels and EU, appealed for internati

The leaders of South Korea and Sweden agreed Wednesday to step up bilateral cooperation in trade, culture, science and green growth during their summit in Seoul, Cheong Wa Dae said. “President Lee Myung-bak and Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf acknowledged expanding trade, investment and technological collaboration between the two countries. They also agreed to develop partnerships in basic science, life science and green growth,” the presidential office said in a statement. The king and Queen Silvi

The foreign ministers of South Korea and Brazil agreed Monday to increase economic, political and scientific cooperation between the two growing economies, Seoul officials said Tuesday.Kim Sung-hwan met with Antonio Patriota in the capital Brasilia and discussed collaboration in trade, industry, scientific technology, agriculture and climate change. They also agreed to step up diplomatic cooperation in Africa and Southeast Asia. “During the talks, Kim sought measures to reinforce omnidirectional